Meg Shelburne

Playing Field Hockey at Middlebury College Fall 2020
Presbyterian School (K - 5th Grade)
St. John's School (6th - 8th Grade)
St. John's School (9th - 12th Grade) Varsity 10th - 12th grade

Profile Link
From Meg: 
Favorite Field Hockey Memory? Why?
  • The SPC championship senior year that went into 1v1s is definitely one of my favorites. I remember at the end of 7v7 overtime, I had been running the whole game and I was seriously tired but I was having so much fun playing this intense game that I was disappointed to hear the whistle call the end of overtime. It was just one of those moments where I realized how much field hockey means to me and how much joy it brings to my life.
 
What was your most exciting recruiting experience?
  • The Middlebury clinic in April of my junior year was easily my favorite. The weather was perfect for playing and the coaches were running really clever and engaging drills. Even though I used to get nervous about clinics, I was enjoying playing so much that I didn’t really think about it. It’s still one of my favorite days of field hockey ever.

Why are you playing field hockey in college?
  • I love playing field hockey. Athletics have been a very important part of my life for basically as long as I can remember and they still make me happy. I have a hard time imagining life without field hockey- it’s really helped me grow as a person.

What have you been doing to prepare?
  • It’s obviously been difficult to play much field hockey with the coronavirus, but I’ve been working on my stick skills by myself and doing a lot of running/workouts to keep in shape.

If you could give one piece of advice to younger girls who want to play field hockey in college, what would it be?
  • Not to compare your recruiting process to others- It’s about finding the right place for you. If you focus on having fun playing and not worry too much about the coaches, it tends to work out better.

Who was the most influential person in high school?
  • My sisters are both also competitive athletes, and seeing their dedication and love for their sports always pushes me to be better at mine. Watching Katie get up at 5 am every morning to go swim and then go back to the pool after school places field hockey practice hours in a whole new context.

​Favorite post practice/ game snack?
  • Probably Goldfish crackers, but Welch’s fruit snacks are also such a Pride staple.

What pre game rituals do you use to hype yourself up before a game?
  • I think I’ve done transfer passing in the backfield with Piper before basically every outdoor game I’ve played in the last few years. I also love cheering with my teammates on the field right before the whistle.

What made you want to be a college field hockey player?
  • First of all, I love the sport and I think athletics are a great way to challenge yourself within a fun context. The Pride alums who would come back to coach or play at open play nights also showed me what a rewarding experience collegiate field hockey is.

What was one of the toughest experiences?
  • Since Pride mixes older and younger girls a lot, I originally was really scared to play with the older girls, but ultimately I learned a lot from them and it made me a much better field hockey player.

Year you began playing field hockey? How?
  • Seventh grade because my sixth grade advisor was the coach and he said that I should try it- it was good advice!
From Tina:
Favorite Meg Moment (old) / why?:
  • One of my favorite older memories of Meg was when she was a U16 and we were playing U16 NIT at Spooky Nook in like B Pool.  We were a good team, and in this one particular game, we were playing WC Eagles.  One of the first times we ever played WC, and it was rough. We rarely got above the half into our attacking half. At some point, we did get above the half and Natalie was running up the field..and somehow...her and Meg ran into each other. I'm not sure if they were subbing or what, but it kind of epitomized how the game was going for us...  Meg used to get so nervous in games and she's grown out of it in an incredible way.  
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Favorite Meg moment (new)/ why?
  • Meg has developed so much over the past year.  Her skills, her decision making, her communication, her strength and overall game have developed to another level of the past year.  It's been great to watch. I was particularly proud of Meg when she was named Co-MVP and Most Improved of her fall SJS team. She then had a phenomenal indoor season being a strong and dependable back all winter. It was a good example of how much Meg has grown through her years with Texas Pride. 

Story we will forever tell about Meg:
  • Meg came to run club one day when she was in 9th/10th grade.  She told me that she was bad at running (inferring that she wasn't going to do well).  I looked at her and was like, 'Meg, that's not possible.  You could be a great runner. Let's just try'.  I can't remember if we just talked about the mental side of running or just how to pace herself, but she has become an incredible runner consistently being one of the top finishers on run tests. When Meg believes in herself, anything is possible. She is now a phenomenal runner. 

Favorite Meg recruiting moment/ why?
  • Meg had a lot of options with recruiting. One of the incredible things about Meg was that she waited through the process to find what she wanted. Once she figured out what she wanted, she pursued it.  Middlebury is the perfect place for Meg.   

First memory of Meg​ / why?
  • Meg was quiet and little.  Whenever we meet a player in 7th grade, they are usually small. Meg was a small kid and not very strong, but she worked super hard. Meg would always give 100% in every drill and come to every practice. She never had an excuse for anything, she just took the feedback and would continue to try harder and harder. It took a while to get much better, but once she did, she got better really fast. I think most of it was confidence. I just remember seeing this young and small player who was giving it her all. The fighter always wins in the end, just like Meg has over and over again.